


A Rose for a Lily

by unknowableroom_archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gen, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-11
Updated: 2005-12-11
Packaged: 2019-01-19 21:05:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12418143
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unknowableroom_archivist/pseuds/unknowableroom_archivist
Summary: Once upon a time, a red-haired girl had a bit of a problem with an insufferable git. Who may actually be - heaven forbid - maturing.  Along with hexing her sister, a position as Head girl, and quite possibly the most important test of her life, said girl is in for quite a year at Hogwarts…





	A Rose for a Lily

**Author's Note:**

> Note from ChristyCorr, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Unknowable Room](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Unknowable_Room), a Harry Potter archive active from 2005-2016. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project after May 2017. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Unknowable Room collection profile](http://www.archiveofourown.org/collections/unknowableroom).

**~*~**

**A/N: Wow. I can’t believe I actually _finished_ something. This is rather amazing for me, and I want to see if I can keep this streak going. I would like to thank Juli (Musetta), my beta, and Dede for fixing my ever-trivial problems with my username, and of course, you, for reading this. Enjoy!**

**Note: This is very slightly based on Beauty and the Beast. But there will be no James!Monster thing here, and no enchanted candlesticks that I am aware of at the moment.**

**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Harry Potter, Mafalda Hopkirk, or the Counting Crows. Yet. *positions current owners by the edge of a cliff***

**~*~**

 

_Well, you know I gotta get out_  
But I'm stuck so tight   
Weighed by the chains that keep me   
Hangin’ around this town on the corner   
I been bummin' around this old town too long… 

\--Hangin’ Around, Counting Crows

 

        “Truly, Mrs. Evans — I mean, _Mum_ — a job as a lawyer would be setting my own sights too low. Some may sink to a, erm, second-best career, but they say that one’s best option is to go into the drill business. In fact, they are making a rise on the corporate ladder, you know…”�

There are times when one is particularly bored and surrounding objects are so extraordinarily dull that a sort of ascension occurs. One becomes detached, in a sense, without a connection to nearby actions or people.

        This was the part of summer Lily Evans dreaded most. She hated any moment she had to spend away from her own world, and tended to daydream about homework when not occupied by it. 

Lily Evans was not an ordinary sixteen-year-old girl. She had no desire to finally “meet”� her older sister’s fiancé, and would as soon kiss a bullfrog. Her relationship with said sister was as vicious as two lions in the same pen as a wildebeest. And, kept secret (for good reason),  she was a witch. One who would, returning to her school at the end of the summer, take up duties as Head Girl. At least, that was what the letter had indicated when she received it by owl post two days previously. 

As it was, there was a new spellbook upstairs in her trunk that she was dying to look through. But, rather unfortunately, it would have to wait.

        “There are seven different types of drills, Mr. Evans, as I’m sure you know-”�

        The wallpaper on the corner by the sink was peeling. Lily had never liked that wallpaper. It was faded and had different types of flowers scattered throughout. And now it was peeling. Lily made a mental note too look into a powerful anti-stick charm when she got to that spellbook of hers.

        “Lily?”�

        She jumped, causing her fork to fall off the table and make a less-than-graceful clatter on the linoleum. “Pardon me,”� she apologized. Flushing, she bent down and picked up her fork. “What were you saying?”� she turned to Vernon, who apparently did not look pleased at the unnecessary noise. He was turning a rather interesting plum colour.

        He cleared his throat. “I _asked you_ , Lily, what school you attended,”� he said, impatient and expecting a prompt answer.

        “Well, Vernon,”� Lily started out slowly. Odds were, Petunia hadn’t told him, well, what she was, and Lily was not going to be the one to set _that_ ship to sail. “I go to a school in a different country. It’s a foreign-exchange program, of sorts-”�

        Mrs. Evans interrupted. “Oh, Vernon, Lily’s being humble. It’s a marvelous school, so we’ve heard. For especially gifted w- _omen_ ,”� she said with pride, giving Lily a cheeky grin before adding as an afterthought, “and men. She received a letter when she was eleven, saying she was to attend this grand academy-”�

        “What _rubbish._ ”� All four heads turned towards Petunia, who was no longer sitting quietly, but standing and shaking slightly. “What an utter load of _rubbish_. Though an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, you see, Vernon, as we’ve seated ourselves next to _that_ heap of refuse!”�

        “Petunia, dear, _I_ certainly think your mother is quite-”� Vernon started, obviously confused.

        “ _I’m not talking about my bloody parents!_ ”�

        Lily felt herself blushing. _Calm down, Lily, calm down… You won’t have to see her again for nine months after next week. Nine months… You'll be seventeen in two days, you can deal with this…_

        “Petunia,”� Mr. Evans warned. “Sit down, and apologize to your sister.”�

        “No. No! I refuse to sit back and watch you _praise_ her for her blasted abnormalities! School for the gifted?”� She let out a short, cruel laugh. “Institution for _freaks_ , more like it! Oh, you should have seen it, Vernon, the bloody _headmaster_ came to our doorstep the day that Lily got an admittance letter to that-”�

        “Don’t you _dare_ talk about Albus Dumbledore in that way!”� At the mention of Albus Dumbledore, Lily had jumped to her feet, manners long forgotten.

“That _place_ ,”� she said, spitting the word out like a curse. “He came in an overgrown bathrobe, explaining every thing in that bloody letter, when just that morning Mum had thrown it away, convinced it was a bloody _prank_! And he took out his little stick and turned my cup of tea into a toad and back again in an instant-”�

        “Petunia, dear, are you quite all right?”� Vernon was shaking, as Lily was sure he had never heard Petunia talk about anything out of the ordinary, magic or otherwise. “Do you need to lie down?”�

        “I’m perfectly fine! It’s _them_ ,”� she said, pointing to the remainder of her family. “ _They’re_ not! They’re all wankers, I swear, for believing the _trash_ that doddering old fool was feeding them-”�

        “He’s not a fool!”� Lily exclaimed, seething. “He’s a genius!”�

        “He’s a fool, and an amazingly dim-witted one, at that, for letting a cheap little- _What are you doing with that th-thing out?!”�_

Lily had snapped. Her wand was out and pointing right at the middle of Petunia’s long, thin neck. Lily had lost all patience dealing with her. _One hex would do it…_ she thought.

        “Lily, no!”� her mother exclaimed.

_All it would take would be one spell… Turn her hair into snakes… I could use Jelly Legs…_

Everyone was frozen, looking at the wand. Vernon’s mouth was open and gaping, as he probably thought that, until that moment, his fiancé was stark raving mad.

_LEVICORPUS!_ Lily thought and immediately regretted it. Petunia was hanging upside-down by her left ankle and the kitchen was put into pandemonium.

“PUT ME DOWN!”� Petunia was screeching. “PUT ME DOWN RIGHT NOW, OR SO HELP ME…”� Vernon was fervently trying to get her down, shouting all sorts of curses into the air. Both Mr. and Mrs. Evans were attempting and failing to restore order.

Tap. Taptaptap.

All five of them froze in place as they saw what was making that noise. There was an owl outside the window, a small roll of parchment tied to its leg. No one moved.

Lily was the first to recover. She went over to the window and let the owl in. Allowing Lily to remove the parchment from its leg, it gave a short hoot and flew back out the window.

Lily looked at the letter and gulped. Addressed to her, it was from the Ministry of Magic. Heart beating somewhere in her throat, she shakily opened the letter.

 

Dear Ms. Evans,

We at the Improper Use of Magic Office have received intelligence that a Levicorpus Charm was cast on a Miss Petunia Evans at your place of residence and in the presence of a Muggle at twenty-three minutes past seven.

As you know, underage witches are not permitted to perform spells outside school, and further spellwork on your part may lead to expulsion from said school (Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery, 1875, Paragraph C).

As it is, since the charm was used in the presence of a Muggle, you would be required to attend a disciplinary meeting at the Ministry of Magic. Fortunately for you, one Albus Dumbledore saved you that fate by telling us that you were to be the next Head Girl at Hogwarts, and that this sort of incident would not happen again. However, being two days shy of seventeen does not make one of age. You’d be best to remember that. Do not make us regret this decision.

Enjoy the remainder of your holiday!

Yours sincerely,

 

Mafalda Hopkirk

IMPROPER USE OF MAGIC OFFICE

_Ministry of Magic_

 

“Fine,”� Lily muttered. She rubbed her eyes. At this point, all she wanted was sleep. “Fine. I’m going to bed.”�

“PUT ME DOWN FIRST!”� Petunia shrieked, her pale face turning a deep red.

_Liberacorpus_ , Lily thought. With a rather loud crash, Petunia fell to the floor, leaving a stammering Vernon in her wake. Lily sighed and started up the stairs to her bedroom.

_One more week,_ Lily thought, sighing. _Just one more week…_

 

~*~

**A/N: So! What do you think? As I’ve said, this is the first chapter of anything that I’ve written in two years, and this is my first real Harry Potter fanfic. I certainly hope you’ve enjoyed it. Tell me if you love it, tell me if you hate it, tell me if it bored you to death. I need you. Now GO, my minions… [insert evil laughter here]**


End file.
